Barry'd TreasuresPage 1 of 2

Figures are always a hot area in Disneyana collecting
because of them being three dimensional and colorful adaptations of the original Disney
characters that show a strong resemblance to the character you have seen in the animated
features. But Disneykins were an exception to the rule, as they were very small figures
made of plastic, thus making it very difficult to hand paint, and since they were made
inexpensively, not much time was taken to make them accurately look like the characters
they were depicting. But thats O.K. as thats the charm of them, and in the
long run they were meant to be sold as souvenirs and toys, not collectibles.

Disneykins are small hand painted plastic figures that were
made in China - (Hong Kong) by Louis Marx and Company. They were made over a twenty
five-year period from 1955 to 1980. There were 34 original figures from Snow White and the
Seven Dwarfs to Mickey, Minnie, Donald and Goofy and also some characters from Dumbo to
Peter Pan. Each figure came with a foil sticker on it saying Hong Kong and they were
packed in an individual cardboard box with a picture of the character on it. Usually the
boxes were nicer than the figures. The boxes were beautifully illustrated while the
figures were very small no more than an inch to two inches tall. The pictures on the box
showed true animators depiction of that character, but the figures hand painting left
something to be desired, but it still did not stop Disneykins popularity. At the time they
came out they cost anywhere from 15 cents to 25 cents.

There were also variations of Disneykins. Larger figures
were called Disneykings and there were also Rolykins which were the same figures but with
a ball bearing inside so they could be pushed across a table or floor. The Disneykings are
less desirable than the Disneykins and worth about 25% less as are the Rolykins about
10-25 dollars each, but it depends on the character and availability.

The original 34 Disneykins can be found commonly all over
but usually without the foil sticker and box. The prices on the original 34 without boxes
and stickers range from $5 to $20 each, $5 for ones like the Seven Dwarfs and up to $20
for the Blue Fairy as they were more fragile and less common. You can add up to 50% to
this price if they have the foil sticker and original box.

Disneykins also came in playsets with plastic furniture,
trees and bushes. These are very desirable but are hard to find in good condition as many
of them had cellophane windows in them that broke in a split second and the boxes were
made of very cheap cardboard that crushed very easily. The sets of Disneykins were packed
strangely also. You might get Peter Pan characters with Brer Rabbit from Song
of the South for example, and there was no thought on how they were packed. These
boxed sets can range in price from $50 to $500 if you happen to have the rare Sword in
the Stone playset.